By David Ponce

They sure as hell didn’t have cool toys like this when I was a kid. We had to play laser tag wearing body suits almost half as heavy as we were and pay through the nose for the privilege. Kids of today will get to enjoy a better, iDevice enhanced version of the game. Hasbro will be releasing the Lazer Tag Blaster gun (1 player) and Lazer Tag 2 Blaster set (2 players) that feature an iPhone slot at the top. With the related application launched, players will have an HUD giving them an augmented reality view of the game. In one player mode, you can shoot virtual enemies while in two or more player mode (up to 24 simultaneous players supported), you can keep track of ammo, score and the location of your enemies. You can even shoot them from as far away as 250ft. “A virtual leaderboard keeps track of each player’s profile and, with every successful mission, players will gain in-game access to upgradeable attacks, missions and gear.”

The summer’s just around the corner and the Lazer Tag Blaster guns should be available August 1st for $40 for the single gun or $70 for 2.

VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

I’m being overly enthusiastic here. I mean, lets face it: who still has paper?… Well, ok, maybe a couple of you still do, and I guess that’s why the iConvert exists. I guess my point is that no one is excited about paper; it’s just one of those figments of a distant past we still have to live with. And for as long as this is the case, and people are still buying iPads, there might be a place for this portable scanning machine. Simply dock your tablet, launch the app and scan. The feeder tray accommodates paper between 2 and 8.5 inches so letters down to small photos can be scanned with ease. It’s done at 300dpi and the images are saved in your photo gallery, in JPEG format.

It’s $150 and ships in February.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By David Ponce

If you’ve had the iPad 2 from day one and have patiently been waiting on iOS 4.3.3 (or 5.0 on the iPhone 4S) for an untethered jailbreak to be released for your A5 equipped device, before upgrading to iOS 5.0.1, there is hope on the horizon. But there’s also a call of action that you need to take now. Well known hacker pod2g has been working on the untethered jailbreak and recently announced that its release was “only a few [days] to wait now.” But Apple will soon release iOS 5.1, for which there will be no jailbreak, and will stop signing 5.0.1. This means if you don’t upgrade to 5.0.1 now, you may lose your window of opportunity to jailbreak your device for quite some time. So upgrade now, while you still can. You might have to go a few days without the benefits of a jailbreak, but at least you’ll be in the clear once pod2g feels the hack is ready for prime time.

VIA [ Cult Of Mac ]

By David Ponce

I’d love to know what they were ingesting at the meeting where company iLuv decided they were going to call their new Bluetooth speakers “Mo’Beats”. Funky name aside, these speakers stand out somewhat from the rest for a couple reasons. First their design, very fitting with the overall Apple aesthetic, although we assume they’d work just as fine with any Bluetooth streaming product. That said, the second feature compels you even more to use an iDevice, since that lip is made specifically to dock a Cupertino gadget. Again, you can put anything there, but if you do that, you’ll look as silly as me: I’m rocking Apple keyboards and a barely usable trackpad on a few PCs here in the “office”. I say barely usable because that little bugger’s drivers were made for a Mac and it just acts all kinds of strange on a PC.

Anyway, the Mo’Beats come with a Li-I rechargeable battery and should set you back $100, available soon.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Digital Trends ]

By David Ponce

Unloading a document off your iDevice and printed onto some dead tree sheets is easier said than done, especially in a corporate environment. Sure, there’s AirPrint, but there are tons of different printers in your office and they may or may not play well with the technology. That’s where xPrintserver comes in. It’s an iPhone sized device that plugs into your network and automatically discovers all the printers. Connect to it through your mobile device and print away. The xPrintserver comes preloaded with drivers for over 4,000 printers, including from brands like HP, Brother, Epson, Canon, Dell, Lexmark, and Xerox. Yes there are app that may do the same thing already for free, but remember this is for the office. And as such, you might be able to chalk the $150 price tag up to a legitimate business expense.

xPrintserver will ship in January 2012.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Engadget ]

By David Ponce

A while ago we posted a video of Samsung’s commercial for the Galaxy S II. We liked it a lot because, well, it was funny and true. It depicted stereotypical Apple customers lining up for hours for an upcoming launch, only to be made to feel stupid by the sudden appearance of Samsung’s device. Well, here’s another one. It’s just as clever and hopefully marks the start of a new campaign, like Apple “Mac v. PC”.

VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By David Ponce

Because there’s apparently no shortage of people with more money than good sense, there appears to be a market for items such as this. The brainchild of Stuart Hughes, the iPhone 4S Elite Gold is the world’s most expensive phone.

The most unique mobile phone ever created with a total construction cost of £6 million. The bezel is handmade from rose with approx 500 individual flawless diamonds which total over 100ct. The rear section is formed using 24ct gold with the added touch of its 24ct gold Apple logo and 53 diamonds. The main navigation is made from gold which holds a single cut 8.6ct diamond. Also included (not shown in picture) is a rare 7.4ct single cut Flawless pink diamond which can replace the existing one. The chest is made from solid Platinum with polished pieces of original Dinosaur bone from the T-REX along with rare stones such as Opal, Pietersite, Charoite, Rutile Quartz, Star Sunstone. The handset is 64gb and limited edition of only 2 to be ever made.

Did you read that? The part about bits of T-Rex bone thrown in? We say don’t buy this until there are bits of moon rock as well. After all, it is almost $10 million…

[ Product Page ] VIA [ CNet Crave ]

By David Ponce

It’s definitely a first world problem: being forced into an uncomfortable reading position on your bed due to your iPhone’s charging cable being too short. Pedestrian as it is, it’s a small problem that can easily be solved with the purchase of this $15 Curly Cable, which extends from 8 inches to 70 inches (20cm to 180cm).

The cable is currently on Kickstarter and had easily passed its funding threshold. And the $15 price will bump up to $30 if you wait to purchase this elsewhere.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Techcrunch Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

There’s a range of ways in which you can prepare your morning brew, from the powdered, instant bottom-of-the-rung stuff to the now much higher end: a coffee tap that integrates with your iDevices. Built directly into any kitchen counter top, Scanomat’s Top Brewer is a coffee lover’s dream come true. At the push of a button (still in the comfort of your bed, from your iPhone, say) and in as little as 15 seconds, your drip coffee is ready to pour out of a spigot. The machine will grind your beans and heat the water on the spot, giving you the freshest cup possible. Want more than drip coffee? Whatever the drink, it can make it. Best part: it’s self cleaning! It performs a daily 1 minute routine that cleans all the pipes, including the milk ducts. It even has a longer routine in case of heavy use, so you don’t have to worry about spoilage or foul tastes. There’s even, get this, an optional juice dispenser accessory.

The price hasn’t been announced, but like most finer things in life, chances are that if you have to ask you can’t afford it.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By David Ponce

The battle against oligarchic cable companies continues on several fronts, with more people joining the ranks of the cable cutters daily. Apple’s offering to the fray is the Apple TV, where you can rent movies on demand and stream content from a variety of providers. And today you can get yourself the latest generation model for $78, after a $22 rebate. “Apple TV has built-in HDMI, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, built-in IR receiver, Optical Audio and Micro-USB. ”

[ $22 Off On Apple TV ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]